Premier League Teams Struggle in Europe Amid Exhaustion

Draining domestic schedule takes toll on English clubs in Champions League

Mar. 12, 2026 at 6:12am

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Premier League teams have struggled in the Champions League this season, with English clubs losing six of their six first-leg ties so far and posting an aggregate score of Europe 16-6 Premier League. Experts attribute this to the grueling and relentless schedule of the Premier League, which leaves players exhausted both physically and mentally by the time the business end of the European competitions arrive.

Why it matters

The Premier League is widely considered the most competitive and intense league in Europe, if not the world. However, this intensity comes at a cost, as Premier League teams often lack the freshness and energy to compete at the highest level in Europe, where their rivals in Spain, Germany, and France sometimes receive more favorable scheduling and rest periods.

The details

This week's Champions League results saw Manchester City, Chelsea, and Tottenham all suffer heavy defeats, with defensive mistakes and a lack of energy evident in their performances. Managers like Mikel Arteta have acknowledged the difficulty of winning the Champions League, with the relentless Premier League schedule making it hard for English clubs to consistently perform at their best in Europe.

  • On the weekend of January 24-25, several top Premier League teams suffered surprise domestic defeats, only to then breeze through their European matches in the following weeks.
  • This week, the first leg of the Champions League last-16 ties saw Premier League teams post an aggregate score of Europe 16-6.

The players

Pep Guardiola

The Manchester City manager, who has won six Premier League titles in nine seasons, has only guided City to two Champions League finals and one semi-final during his tenure.

Sir Alex Ferguson

The former Manchester United manager, who mostly managed at a time when English clubs were considered inferior to their European rivals, had a similar ratio of umpteen domestic titles but only one Champions League win in 10 seasons.

Mikel Arteta

The Arsenal manager, who saw his team draw 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, acknowledged the difficulty of winning the competition and the challenge of facing any opponent, especially away from home.

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What they’re saying

“Yes, and how difficult it is to win against any opponent in the competition and especially away from home. There is a big factor there. Then you realise what we've done to win it, this competition, because it's so tough that nobody did it before.”

— Mikel Arteta, Arsenal Manager

“Fully aware of that, we knew the importance of the game and the difficulty of the opponent and now we need to finish it in London.”

— Mikel Arteta, Arsenal Manager

What’s next

Arsenal may well finish the job in London next week, while Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester City, and Liverpool will all be hoping to produce miracles in their second leg matches to overcome first-leg deficits.

The takeaway

The relentless schedule and intensity of the Premier League, combined with a lack of scheduling assistance from domestic authorities, is taking a toll on English clubs' ability to consistently perform at the highest level in European competitions. This highlights the challenges faced by the Premier League's top teams as they seek to dominate in Europe.